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the Eye a new Picture of Nature, which was more finely fhaded, and difpofed among fofter Lights, than that which the Sun had before discovered to

us.

AS I was furveying the Moon walking in her Brightness and taking her Progrefs among the Conftellations, a Thought rofe in me which I believe very often perplexes and difturbs Men of ferious and contemplative Natures, David himself fell into it in that Reflection, When I confider the Heavens the Work of thy Fingers, the Moon and the Stars which thou haft ordained; what is Man that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of Man that thou regardeft him! In the fame manner when I confidered that infinite Host of Stars, or, to speak more Philofophically, of Suns, which were then shining upon me, with those innumerable Sets of Planets or Worlds, which were moving round their refpe&tive Suns; when I still enlarged the Idea, and fuppofed another Heaven of Suns and Worlds rifing ftill above this which we difcovered, and these still enlightned by a fuperior Firmament of Luminaries, which are planted at fo great a Distance, that they may appear to the

Inhabitants of the former as the Stars do to us; in fhort, whilst I pursued this Thought, I could not but reflect on that little infignificant Figure which I my self bore amidst the Immensity of God's Works.

WERE the Sun, which enlightens this Part of the Creation, with all the Hoft of Planetary Worlds that move about him, utterly extinguifhed and annihilated, they would not be miffed more than a Grain of Sand upon the Sea-fhore. The Space they poffefs is fo exceedingly little, in comparison of the whole, that it would fcarce make a Blank in the Creation. The Chafm would be imperceptible to an Eye, that could take in the whole Compass of Nature, and pafs from one End of the Creation to the other; as it is poffible there may be fuch a Senfe in our felves hereafter, or in Creatures which are at present more exalted than our felves. We fee many Stars by the help of Glaffes, which we do not discover with our naked Eyes; and the finer our Tele1 fcopes are, the more ftill are our Difco

veries. Hygenius carries this Thought fo far, that he does not think it impoffible there may be Stars whofe Light is not

yet

yet

travelled down to us, fince their first Creation. There is no Question but the Universe has certain Bounds fet to it; but when we confider that it is the Work of infinite Power, prompted by infinite Gooodnefs, with an infinite Space to exert it felf in, how can our Imagination fet any Bounds to it?

TO return therefore to my first Thought, I could not but look upon my self with fecret Horrour as a Being that was not worth the smallest Regard of one who had fo great a Work under his Care and Superintendency. I was afraid of being overlooked amidst the Immenfity of Nature, and loft among that infinite Variety of Creatures, which in all Probability fwarm through all the immeasurable Regions of Mat

ter.

IN order to recover my felf from this mortifying Thought, I confidered that it took its Rife from those narrow Conceptions which we are apt to entertain of the Divine Nature. We our felves cannot attend to many different Objects at the fame Time. If we are careful to infpect fome Things we must of courfe neglect others. This Imperfe

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&tion which we observe in our felves, is an Imperfection that cleaves in fome degree to Creatures of the highest Capacities, as they are Creatures, that is, Beings of finite and limited Natures. The Presence of every created Being is confined to a certain Measure of Space, and confequently his Obfervation is ftinted to a certain Number of Objects. The Sphere in which we move, and act, and underftand, is of a wider Circumference to one Creature than another, according as we rife one above another in the Scale of Existence. But the wideft of these our Spheres. has its Circumference. When therefore we reflect on the Divine Nature, we are so used and accustomed to this Imperfection in our felves, that we cannot forbear in some measure afcribing it to him in whom there is no Shadow of Imperfection. Our Reafon indeed affures us that his Attributes are infinite, but the Poornefs of our Conceptions is fuch that it cannot forbear fetting Bounds to every Thing it contemplates, till our Reafon comes again to our Succour, and throws down all thofe little Prejudices which rife in us unawares, and are natural to the Mind of Man.

WE

WE fhall therefore utterly extinguish this melancholy Thought, of our being overlooked by our Maker in the Multiplicity of his Works, and the Infinity of thofe Objects among which he feems to be inceffantly employed, if we confider, in the firft Place, that he is Omniprefent; and, in the fecond, that he is Omnifcient.

IF we confider him in his Omniprefence: His Being paffes through, actuates, and fupports the whole Frame of Nature. His Creation, and every Part of it, is full of him. There is nothing he has made, that is either fo diftant, fo little, or fo inconfiderable, which he does not effentially inhabit. His Substance is within the Subftance of every Being, whether material, or immaterial, and as intimately present to it, as that Being is to it felf. It would be an Imperfection in him, were he able to remove out of one Place into another, or to withdraw himself from any Thing he has created, or from any Part of that Space which is dif fufed and spread abroad to Infinity. In fhort, to fpeak of him in the Language of the old Philofophy, he is a Being

whose

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